Sunday, June 29, 2008
Editorial: Cross Virginia 114 later
Christiansburg can extend the Huckleberry Trail now and build a bridge later.
From the RoundTable blog
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It looks like Virginia 114 in Christiansburg will be widened after all. The feds will send some money this way to ease traffic congestion on the busy street near the New River Valley Mall. Good. Now about the pedestrians and bicyclists who can find nary a sidewalk, trail or bike lane nearby ...
The town plans to extend the popular Huckleberry Trail behind the mall, across 114 and to the Christiansburg Recreation Center. Someday the trail might even reach the aquatic center now under construction.
Meanwhile, Blacksburg is looking at its own trail extensions that could take the Huckleberry all the way to national forest trails.
If it all comes together, the Huckleberry would provide a safe, pedestrian- and bike-friendly route from Christiansburg, through Blacksburg and to the wider trail system beyond.
It sounds great, but the master plan hit a snag this month. Christiansburg hoped to pay for the bridge with help from the Virginia Department of Transportation, but the cash-strapped agency turned the application over to federal funding sources, which also are tapped for the year. The $450,000 the town sought is not available.
It is a setback, but not a devastating one. The town can reapply next year. In the meantime, it should focus on what it can accomplish.
Christiansburg should continue raising funds for the trail extension. It could also get started on construction. Even without the bridge, the rest of the trail could serve as a convenient community amenity. The town might even work with planners to include a crosswalk and bike lanes in the road widening.
And, in a year or two, if the money still is not forthcoming from Richmond and Washington, the town might even think about paying for the bridge itself.
Christiansburg allowed development to proceed around the mall in a manner completely unfriendly to bikers and walkers. It has the power to undo some of that mistake by connecting the Huckleberry Trail across 114.
